Is this normal?

When someone you love has died the pain can be overwhelming and you may experience lots of difficult feelings that can leave you confused and worried.

You may feel sad, angry, confused, scared, lonely, guilty, disbelief, pain and many other feelings. It is NORMAL to feel like this when someone we love has died.

You may also have physical symptoms such as exhaustion and feel like you have no energy at all. You may lose your appetite and find it really difficult or even impossible to sleep. Concentration may also be a struggle and everyday things like going to school, college, work or even going out with friends can seem too hard.

There may seem little point in bothering with anything any more and you may wonder how life is going to be in the future. You miss your special person so much.

It’s a good to share with someone how you feel. It may seem really difficult to talk to someone in your family but doing this can be very helpful. Often families do not want to talk about it just in case they upset each other but sharing your feelings can make life easier at home. You may prefer to find a friend, teacher or someone outside of your family to talk to, someone you know you can trust and who will listen to you.

However, talking may just be too difficult. Some people say that writing their feelings down can help. Some teenagers find writing letters to the person who has died useful, others find keeping a diary, drawing pictures and other things really helpful. It’s important to try and express your feelings- keeping all your worries and fears inside won’t make them go away.

Grief can last for a very long time but gradually the pain will get easier. You will always miss the person who has died, but eventually, over time, you will adjust to living in a different way.